'parm' on Serious Eats

The Serious Eats office is dead in the thick of New York's Italian American culture—at least what used to be. It's no secret to anyone who calls New York home that Little Italy is as Italian as Mario the plumber. But still, with the thousands of tourists that pass through daily, you'd expect some places to do a classic Italian combo hero right. Here's our take on the contenders. More

If I have one favorite classic cocktail, it's the Negroni—refreshingly bitter, just sweet enough to round out the edges, with complex botanicals and a bright burst of orange oil to set it off. But once you start considering the Negroni as a template, you'll find variations on the theme just about everywhere.

Here are eleven in New York I've loved of late, with spirits ranging from mezcal to genever to bourbon, with every amaro you can think of, and with coffee, beets, dried figs, and roasted oranges all making appearances.

Being a vegetarian in New York isn't the challenge it used to be, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. Sure, most restaurants these days offer one or two decent vegetarian options, but sometimes you don't want the pasta or a meal made cobbled together from side dishes. With that in mind, here are 60 recommendations for restaurants that accommodate vegetarians without disappointing carnivores. More

It's been a great year for sandwiches in this city. We found new loves in pastrami and patty melts. We celebrated grilled cheese in all its oozy forms. We even hacked a few sandwiches of our own. Here are 30 standout sandwiches we had this year. More

Don't wait to head down to Parm for their Thanksgiving hero, as it will only be available until the end of the week. At $14, it's definitely expensive for a sandwich that you won't want to share with anyone, but it's everything Thanksgiving should be. More

We go through a lot of sandwiches in this city, from corner deli classics to highfalutin' double-digit price tag gourmet numbers. Some are good, some not so good, and some are great. And then there are the ones that make us remember just why we love sandwiches as much as we do—sandwiches that get us inspired. What recent sandwich finds are stuck in the crave centers of our brains? Take a look to find out. More

A really good chicken sandwich can be hard to find; so many are dry or stringy or downright boring. But great chicken—juicy, flavorful, maybe with some crisp skin in the mix—is perfect sandwich fodder. You can't really beat fried chicken on a bun, but it's just as good grilled and stacked with avocado, roasted and slicked with fat...or, well, we'll let this list of chicken sandwich stars speak for itself. More

Eggplant is one of those culinary chameleons that can take on the flavors of just about any cuisine. Italian? Bring on the mozzarella. Japanese? Hello, miso. Indian? Israeli? Sichuan? Azerbaijani? All good. The humble eggplant has an awful lot of stamps in its passport. So let's look at our favorite eggplant dishes in the city. More

Since we were already conveniently parked at Parm for their nightly specials, it was only right to get acquainted with the cocktail list. Order one from a red swivel stool at the bar or with dinner ($12 each drink). All of them are playful yet thoughtfully constructed, and oftentimes boozier than they taste. More

We didn't purposely move into our offices in the Chinatown/Little Italy neighborhood last year to be closer to Torrisi Italian Specialties, but it sure worked in our favor. Torrisi's little sib Parm opened next door last November by the same two classically trained Italian-American chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, who are elevating comfort-foody dishes with sophisticated cooking techniques (does anyone in Little Italy use a CVap oven to make pork chop pizzaiola?). They've got a whole selection of nightly specials, from Italian Thanksgiving on Thursdays to Chinese on Sundays. Check 'em all out. More

There's probably nothing duller than steamed cauliflower—which is why cauliflower in just about any other form gets us so excited. Roasted or fried, it turns crisp-tender with irresistible nutty brown bits. Blended with cream or butter, it becomes rich and silken, a decadent soup or purée. And that's just scratching the surface. We've had excellent cauliflower dishes in New York from chefs of all culinary persuasions. Here are ten of our favorites. What's your favorite cauliflower preparation?More

Parm, the new sandwich and lunch shop from the gentlemen of Torrisi Italian Specialties, officially opens today next door to that restaurant. We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview yesterday. Here's what to expect. More